I ended up with a lot of footage, so I am going to split the video up as needed to the time manageable.
In this video, I start my new project which is a tilt-out wastebasket cabinet. As usual, I start out with rough lumber, so much of this first video is about preparing the stock.
Need to Joint a board that is wider than your jointer? I cover that in this video as well. Stay tuned to see how it all turns out!
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I prefer getting my wood in the rough for two reasons: The first reason is the cost. Rough lumber is incredibly cheaper than 4-side finished wood. The other reason is flexibility. I am able to “find” the best part of the board in the rough lumber whereas, if your wood is pre-finished, you are stuck with what you get.So here is my workflow: LayoutRough lengthRough WidthJoint 1 face and 1 edgeFinal width + 1/16” Joint to final widthPlane to final thicknessFinal lengthLet me...

I’ve made a couple of dowel jigs to use on a table and bench project that I’m making from 2×12 Southern Yellow Pine. One is useful for joining two pieces of 2 by # lumber and the other is for 4×4 lumber. They’re very inexpensive as they are made from a scrap piece of 1” oak and some “steel spacers” from Lowes. Both have proven to be accurate and easy to use.
https://youtu.be/lZRZTXYKiJE

DIY solution to using the mini Kreg pocket hole jig on 1.5” thick lumber. It’s simple and easy to build. It’s made from shop cutoffs and a little common hardware. It even makes the mini jig easier to use on 3/4 stock. Sometimes the simple things work well.
https://youtu.be/mr1jDFCXHt8

I’ve been making a few boxes lately and have at least one more to go. I saw this technique for fine tuning the bottom or top edges of a box on a YouTube video about guitar making. In the video the luthier had a large sheet of sandpaper glued to a piece of plywood. After creating the sides of the guitar body, he would rub the edges of the body (sans bottom or top) on the sandpaper to even out the edges completely.
Since my joinery is far from perfect, I’ve been using this m...

Have a bandsaw? What about a handsaw? Either way you can make a half lap miter joint easily and create even stronger corner joints. I go through some quick steps to accomplish this task on the bandsaw and then using a handsaw.
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Cutting dados for stretchers. I finally sharpened my new Kobalt 5/8” chisel and I am taking my time removing the waste. Also being real careful not to cut below the mark on depth.
All cut for one side of one horse and laying on the work surface (uprights are on the wrong side – it fit much better with them switched to the correct side (reversed).
Stretchers fit nicely.
Gaps aren’t too big or wide. Good for saw bench/saw horse.
And it stands up on it’...

Beginning dove tail number one.
This is how I clamp it up to work on the end cuts.
More saw cuts to remove waste between the pins.
It doesn’t want to fit yet.
Got start whittling it down – just now wants to fit together.
About 1/3 of the way.
Almost there!
Finally! Not too bad for first dovetail ever.